One of the aspects that make animated Disney movies so addicting is the storytelling. Every movie has a great message woven through amazing animation and catchy songs. Alongside each character’s mission for greatness, however, was an antagonist who’s out to steal the main character's happiness.
What’s even worse was when the antagonist or villain was someone the main character trusted. The level of betrayal in these instances was so upsetting that it shocked fans and left an imprint on their lives.
Updated on September 20th, 2022, by Lynn Gibbs: Part of what makes Disney and Pixar movies so engaging are the levels of storytelling throughout. Before a character can reach their goals and find happiness, they're thrown through unintentional loops to learn life's lessons. Sadly, sometimes the main characters are betrayed on their way to happiness, often by those they relied on or trusted. While some betrayals were upsetting to see, others came out of left field and were far worse compared to other Disney/Pixar films.
The Madrigals Turned Their Backs On Bruno
Encanto (2021)
Disney’s Encanto shared the story of the Madrigal family and the magical gifts they possessed. Bruno was the uncle of protagonist Mirabel who disappeared when his dark psychic visions upset the family. The more Mirabel learned about Bruno and his gift, the more she realized that her family betrayed him.
Bruno could not help that his power was seeing dark psychic visions, yet his whole family turned on him and spread rumors about him after he disappeared. In reality, Bruno never went anywhere. He stayed within Casita to stay close to his family because he loved them. Although it wasn’t touched on in-depth, Bruno was betrayed by his family for something he couldn’t control. This betrayal has led fans to demand justice for Bruno.
Stinky Pete Robbed Woody Of Happiness For His Own Selfish Gain
Toy Story 2 (1999)
In Toy Story 2, Woody was shocked to find out that he wasn't just an ordinary toy, he was a collectible. After being stolen from Andy's house by a collector named Al, Woody joined his new toy family which included Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete.
It took some convincing, but Woody eventually trusted the group enough to travel with them to Japan to remain in a museum forever. However, once Woody realized he'd miss Buzz and Andy too much, he chose a different direction. In a quick change of events, Stinky Pete proved to be the villain when he refused to let Woody leave because he wanted to be admired at a museum instead of being put in storage. Once Woody's friend, Stinky Pete was soon his captor. Woody was deceived by Stinky Pete and had to find a new way to escape.
Ernesto De La Cruz Killed His Best Friend For Stardom
Coco (2017)
Disney's Coco had one of the brand's darkest storylines. Ernesto and Héctor were best friends and musicians, but Ernesto had the looks and the charm while Héctor had the real talent for songwriting.
When Héctor got tired of performing and wanted to spend more time with his family, Ernesto snapped. Without Héctor's songs, Ernesto had nothing. Although they were best friends and partners, Ernesto killed Héctor, stole his songbook, and went on to have an incredible career. Their former friendship and partnership made the betrayal all the more jaw-dropping. Fans didn't know what happened to cause Héctor's death, but all the while his family suffered without him.
Scar Wanted The Kingdom More Than A Relationship With His Brother
The Lion King (1994)
The tale of The Lion King's Scar and Mufasa has been a fan favorite since the release of the original movie in 1994. The betrayal between the brothers was so deep that it scarred viewers.
Mufasa was King of Pride Rock and spent his time training his son, Simba, to be the next king. Due to his wisdom, Mufasa was one of Disney's best characters. Mufasa's brother Scar, however, had other plans. Sour and annoyed by everyone's love for Mufasa, Scar staged a scene to kill Mufasa and have it look as if he died in a stampede. The betrayal only got worse when Scar tried killing his nephew Simba because he knew he could never be king if Simba was around. This level of deception was one of Disney's darkest.
Gothel Literally Pretended To Be Rapunzel's Mom
Tangled (2010)
Tangled's Mother Gothel was a crone who wanted to live forever. After learning that the king and queen's daughter, Rapunzel, had magical hair, Gothel left her morals at the door and kidnapped her in the middle of the night. The king and queen never knew what happened to Rapunzel after that night.
Meanwhile, Gothel told Rapunzel that she was her birth mother and that she had to stay locked away in a tower because the outside world wasn't safe. Rapunzel dreamed of life outside and eventually broke away to find the truth. Rapunzel felt betrayed when she found out her mother was actually her kidnapper. Because of this, Mother Gothel was one of the most underrated Disney villains.
Lots-o Wanted Everyone To Hurt Inside After Getting Hurt Himself
Toy Story 3 (2010)
In Toy Story 3, Woody, Buzz, and the gang left the comfort of Andy's house for a new life at a daycare. The group couldn't wait to be played with and meet new toys. Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear was the leader at the daycare and seemed harmless enough... that is until his true nature came out.
Viewers learned that Lots-o was abandoned by his owner years prior it hurt him deeply being abandoned. In his mind, if he couldn't be loved and respected by an owner, no one should. Lots-o turned his back on the toys and even attempted to burn them alive. Lots-o got what was coming to him in the end, but fans felt the third Toy Story installment was the perfect finale to the franchise since the toys came out stronger after Lots-o's deception.
Hans Tricked Anna Into Falling In Love With Him
Frozen (2013)
No one could blame Frozen's Anna for falling in love with Hans in such a short period of time. Due to her sister's powers, Anna was sheltered and alone until she met Hans. The two agreed to marry after briefly meeting each other, and it looked like Anna's happily ever after was on the horizon (even though being that naive was not Anna's best trait).
Little did fans know, Hans used Anna as a way to become King of Arendelle. If he was capable of getting rid of Queen Elsa and killing off Princess Anna, the kingdom would be his. The realization that Hans didn't love Anna and was just using her for the throne was a dark moment and truly jaw-dropping betrayal.
Luca Threw Alberto Under The Bus
Luca (2021)
Disney's Luca shared what life was like for two sea monster best friends who lived in and out of the ocean on the coast of Italy. Luca's parents warned him to stay away from land because humans would kill a sea monster like him, but when he met a fellow sea monster boy his age, Alberto, he learned that sea monsters transformed into humans when dry.
The two created an incredible friendship in and out of water, but when Luca started paying more attention to their friend Giulia, Alberto felt left out. Alberto shared his true identity with Giulia and instead of Luca joining him, he lied and acted like he had no idea Alberto was a sea monster. Alberto—a friend who introduced Luca to so much—was betrayed by Luca's behavior.
Mr. Waternoose's Plans To Kidnap Children
Monster's Inc. (2001)
Mr. Waternoose seemed like a stereotypical, hard-nosed boss at the start of Monsters, Inc. He was the CEO of Monsters, Inc. and relied on Sully as his best worker. How the town kept running was by scaring human children and using their fear as energy.
At the end of the movie, Sully and Mike were shocked to find out that Mr. Waternoose was not who they thought. He planned on kidnapping children to use their continued screams for the city's benefit instead of looking into other energy resources. Mr. Waternoose's jaw-dropping betrayal of the city's children, and his workers, was a shocking discovery for both the film's characters and viewers.
Dawn Bellwether Was Scarier Than She Appeared
Zootopia (2016)
Judy and Nick teamed up in Zootopia to find out what was causing the city's preconceptions of predators and why they were turning "savage" and scaring the city.
Dawn Bellwether was the sweet and endearing assistant mayor who helped Judy and Nick with their investigation, but the pair soon found out Bellwether was not who she pretended to be. Because of her bad past with predators, Bellwether was the sole reason why predators were turning savage, and she hoped to make Zootopia predator-free. No one saw Bellwether's jaw-dropping betrayal coming, as she turned to the dark side and deceived not just Judy, but all predators of Zootopia.
Lady Tremaine Was An Abuser
Cinderella (1950)
Lady Tremaine was the antagonist in Cinderella. Her cunning ways were no surprise to Cinderella or viewers, so it's not the unexpectedness that made her betrayal so jaw-dropping but the lengths she went to, and how long she continued her evil actions. There's no part of Lady Tremaine that aged well in Cinderella.
Lady Tremaine married Cinderella's dad under the guise that she was in love with him. Once he died, it became clear she only needed him for his wealth to support her life with her daughters. She continued her path of betrayal by treating Cinderella as a slave instead of as an equal member of the family. Cinderella got the last laugh in the end, but Lady Tremaine had no shame in betraying her husband and stepdaughter to get what she wanted.